The curved mountains, which look like they were made by an artist, have very interesting colors. The Rainbow Mountains are a biologically occurring wonder of the world. It is located within the Boundaries of China’s Zhangye Danxia Geological Park. It is located in the Gansu province of the country. It has an area of 520 million square meters. This formation, which has existed for 80 million years, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.
It welcomes thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year. The mountains, which give the feeling of being on another planet, contain many colors. The colors on the rainbow; It is in shades of yellow, orange, brown, red, green, blue and pink. It appears to be custom painted with a brush. Color transitions in horizontal layers look like layers of a cake. It is possible to hike on the mountain with stairs. Structures similar to these colorful mountains found in China are also found in Oltu district of Erzurum and around Nallıhan in Ankara in Turkey.
How were the Rainbow Mountains Formed?
Rainbow mountains create a visual feast with their vibrant colors. It is the minerals that give the mountains these colors. The formation of mountains dates back millions of years. The mountain contains some sandstones, iron and minerals belonging to the end of the Mesozoic period. A rainbow appearance emerges with the sedimentation of iron and sands together with minerals.
The Rainbow Mountains were formed as a result of tectonic movements. It was formed as a result of the collision and compression of the Eurasian layer and the Indian layer 55 million years ago, as a result of research by geoscientists. The ground, which was normally a flat surface, rose and curved, revealing these mountains. Color layers emerged with the erosion of the rocks forming the mountains over time.
The calcareous and clastic sedimentary rocks accumulated on the ocean floor were uplifted as a result of tectonic movements. Iron element, which is also present in the minerals that make up the rocks, reacted with other elements and different colors emerged. When the iron element reacts with oxygen; Many iron oxide colors such as black, red, yellow and brown appear. Hematite mineral, which is iron oxide, reveals red, reddish brown colors.
As a result of the reaction of the iron element with sulfur, the pyrite mineral creates a metallic yellow color. As a result of the reaction of iron with silicate ions, chlorite and olivine, that is, green and its tones, appear. Limonite, on the other hand, creates different color transitions from dark brown to light yellow.
The Rainbow Mountains in Erzurum Oltu are not as high as the Rainbow Mountains in China. Although the color variety is not that intense, yellow, orange and brown colors are dominant. The Gökkuşağı hills in Oltu mostly contain limonite mineral.
